Another World: Fellowship of the Ring
by wickedmetalviking1990
Summary: Wicked/Lord of the Rings crossover, based on LittleGreenFae's version and continuing where we last left off with the Fellowship ready to enter Lothlorien...
1. Caras Galadhon

**(Author's Note: This is the continuation of LittleGreenFae's "Another World, Another War." In keeping with the continuity established by Fae, this is musical-Wicked and film-LotR, but I will endeavor to make as many references to the books as possible, as well as including content cut from the movies -wink wink- Though the original was a "romance/adventure", I don't know how good I am with romances, so I don't know if I'll have that much in case I butcher it.)**

**(AN: I own neither LotR nor Wicked...original concept of this story by LittleGreenFae, though continued with her consent and permission. enjoy and review liberally. lol)  
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**Caras Galadhon**

The party passed through the eaves of a great forest. It was not as dark as the Great Gilikin Forest; in fact, the leaves seemed to shine with same golden glow of the sun. Glinda couldn't stop "ooing" and "awwing" at the gorgeousness of the place.

"I knew it was a mistake to bring a woman with us." Boromir grumbled under his breath. "Now we have TWO!"

"That is not the only thing on your heart, Boromir." Aragorn, who was at his side, said in response.

"It is said..." Boromir began slowly. "...in Gondor, that none escape the Lady of the Golden Wood. Hither we are going, greatly against my will, as it was when we entered Moria. And look what that brought us."

"If the people of Gondor think evil of the Lady of Lorien, then the wisdom of Gondor has waned indeed." Aragorn replied.

A scowl came over Boromir's face, but he continued after the ranger.

Meanwhile, in the middle of the group, Fiyero, Elphaba and Glinda walked behind the elf Legolas. Any chance she got to look at the elf, Glinda sent more "oohs" and "ahs".

"Will you be quiet?" Elphaba hissed.

"Sorry." the blond said. She continued oogling both the forest and her companion, but now in hushed tones.

"I don't like this forest." Elphaba said, her eyes gazing at every tree.

"It's just a forest." Fiyero replied. "No different than the woods in Oz."

"There's something too quiet about this place." she responded. "Almost as if we're being watched."

"Who'd be watching us?" Fiyero asked.

Elphaba shushed her lover, for she heard Gimli speak to the Hobbits, who were directly behind them.

"They say that a great sorceress lives in these woods." his gruff voice whispered. "An Elf witch...of terrible power. All who look upon her, fall under her spell...and are never seen again."

A dread silence fell upon the company. Elphaba realized how much noise they had been making. Even the Hobbits, whose footfalls were always the quietest, sounded like raindrops falling upon a heavy tarp. Aragorn's footsteps were the next loudest, mostly because he was a Man and therefore not possessing the skill of Hobbits, or Elves.

Elphaba realized that Legolas made the least noise of them all.

As for the most noise, that was surely coming from three sources: Boromir, Glinda and Gimli.

Why did Glinda have to wear those shoes, she thought, looking down at her best friend. Her glass slippers weren't exactly the kind of things that made for quiet travel. And that blue dress was starting to get stained from all of their travel. Elphaba suspected that the dirt they had encountered in Eregion and Moria wouldn't have stuck so were it not for the liberal amount of snow from Caradhras that had made her dress so wet and soaked up more dirt.

"Well," the silence broke as Gimli spoke, more to himself than to the Hobbits. "Here's one Dwarf she won't ensnare so easily. I have the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a fox!"

Just then, a dozen arrow-heads were pointed in their direction. Elphaba reached her hand to her sword, but realized that they were surrounded. One wrong move would kill everyone in the Company. She felt Fiyero's hand encase her right hand, while a soft, feminine hand squeezed her left.

"Oh, Elphie." Glinda gasped in whispers. "They're so pretty. Why are they so angry?"

That was a misconception, Elphaba told herself. These people were Elves; more like the people of Rivendell yet still different, than the elves of Oz. Yet she saw that their faces were not angry but stern.

These people, she presumed, lived on the frontier of war, ever on guard against some great evil.

* * *

><p>That night, they all sat upon the landing of a talan: the name the Elves gave for the flets they built around the great boughs of their golden-leaved <em>mallorn<em> trees. It was cold, and the twilit hours of night made the gray-clad elves almost vanish into the night.

The Hobbits sat by themselves, though Elphaba saw that Frodo was off by himself. She knew that something was on his mind, especially when the lead elf of the party that had captured them, Haldir, she recalled, told them that they couldn't go farther.

What was that about the great evil?

"Frodo?" she asked him. "What's troubling you?"

The Hobbit turned to look at who spoke to him.

"Nothing." he said to the green woman.

"It doesn't look like nothing." Elphaba said, coming closer to his side.

He stared off into the darkness of the forest, though not at any one thing in particular.

"It's the Ring." he whispered.

"I recall what happened at the Council," she said. "But I'm still a bit mystified about the Ring. Could you...?"

Frodo kept his gaze away from her.

"I'm afraid I can't help you." was his reply. "I've forgotten how much I relied on..."

Elphaba knew what he was going to say.

Gandalf.

In the short time she had known him, she had begun to respect him as almost a father figure. Something her father Frexspar never gave to her...

No, Elphaba told herself. She was not related to that weak little fool. How could she be?

She could hear something going on between Aragorn and the lead elf Haldir. Obviously, she knew, Glinda wanted in on their conversation, for she was making her way to her side.

As was another member of the party...

"Gandalf's death was not in vain." Boromir said to Frodo, guessing that was who he was talking about. He was right. Frodo had forgotten how much they relied upon the Wizard.

"Nor would he have you give up hope." Elphaba had never heard Boromir speak so friendly to Frodo before. At the Council of Elrond, when he chose to join the Fellowship, there was a kind of uncertain tone about his voice. Neither wholly friendly nor trusting. Why the sudden change?

"Elphie, what are they talking about?" Glinda whispered, now side-by-side with her friend.

"Aragorn is trying to convince Haldir to let us pass and continue on our journey." Elphaba whispered back.

"Ohhh!" the blond whispered. Elphaba shushed her friend, for she heard something else being spoken by Boromir to Frodo.

"You carry a heavy burden, Frodo. Don't carry the weight of the dead."

What burden was he talking about? The Ring? She had seen it before, and it was very small. Almost insignificant. She had seen Glinda wear her engagement ring that day in the Wizard's throne room - a thing covered in diamonds and other shining jewels. Not so with this Ring. It was plain gold, with no adornment of any kind.

A little ring, it appeared.

Yet they never spoke of it publicly. Why? What was so dangerous about it? True, she knew that the enemy, Sauron the Dark Lord of Mordor, needed the Ring to gain his power of old and become invincible against the Free Peoples of Middle Earth. But why did they speak of the Ring with almost a kind of fear?

Just then, the elf Haldir approached the others.

"You will follow me." he said.

* * *

><p>The night had faded into dawn, and the day waned into a night once again. For a while, they had to travel blind-folded. It was said by Haldir that they were expected, but, due to some old hatreds between Elves and Dwarves, Gimli had to go blind-folded. Aragorn said that, so they might all be equal, all of the company would enter Lorien blindfolded.<p>

As they walked without sight, being led by their Elven companions, Elphaba swore that, though blindfolded, Fiyero somehow found his way closest to her. She did not begrudge his affections, though she did wish that he would do so less and less while in the presence of the other members of the Company.

At last they had entered the land of Lorien, and they were permitted to remove their blindfolds. After they had ascended a hill, Haldir brought them to a halt. Spread out before them was a wide forest, with many great trees of golden leaf, that shone in the morning sun. Predictably, Glinda was "ooing" at the sight.

"Caras Galadhon, the heart of Elvendom on Earth." Haldir announced proudly. "Home of the Lord Celeborn and of Galadriel, Lady of Light."


	2. Lothlorien

**(AN: This one is a little wordy, and I tried hard not to make it sound like just a reinvention of the movie with the new characters, but fear that I did so. :( Anyway, I have half-introduced elements from my own epic into this story. Don't worry, it will be established what you see soon enough. Remember to review and ask questions concerning what you see.)**

**Lothlorien**

Night had fallen when they were within the great tree. They all stood within a great hall that was nestled within the trees.

Before them they saw two people walking hand-in-hand to meet their guests. Elphaba could only assume that these two were the leaders that Haldir had spoke of before: Celeborn and Galadriel. A great light shone from within, and she could not see what they looked like.

Slowly they appeared before them, and Elphaba gasped. They were the most fair yet formidable creatures she had ever seen. The Elf lady was tall and fair, with an air of command that, Elphaba knew, would make even Madam Morrible cringe in fear.

Elphaba could feel Fiyero's hand grow sweaty within her own.

"The enemy knows you have entered here." the Lord Celeborn spoke first. His voice was commanding yet not wholly fearful. "What hope you had in secrecy is now gone." The elf lord then looked upon the company. "Eleven there were that set out from Rivendell, yet eleven do I see here, yet there is one who has joined the company along the way and one whose footsteps I can no longer see from afar."

A silence fell upon the Fellowship. Slowly Elphaba became aware that the Lady Galadriel, who had been silent for this long, was now looking at each of them in the eye. She saw that few could hold her gaze for long, save for Legolas and Aragorn.

"Tell me, where is Gandalf?" the Lord Celeborn asked. "For I much desire to speak with him."

Suddenly, they heard a new voice speak. The three Ozians looked up to see who had spoken.

It was the Lady Galadriel. 'Her voice was clear and musical, but deeper than woman's wont.'

"Gandalf the Grey did not pass the borders of this land." she spoke, with sadness in her voice. "He has fallen into Shadow?"

It was Legolas who spoke first, after a long pause, and with much grief in his voice, though he shed not a tear.

"He was taken by both Shadow and Flame." He paused once again, almost out of fear of speaking the name...

"A Balrog of Morgoth. For we went needlessly into the net of Moria."

Elphaba heard Gimli sigh to her right. He must be feeling guilty for his death, since it was he who suggested they take the road through the Mines of Moria.

"Needless were none of the deeds of Gandalf in life." the Lady Galadriel spoke. "We do not yet know his full purpose."

Elphaba saw the Lady turn and speak something to the Dwarf, but suddenly all the world about her became dim, and she saw that the Elf woman was looking at her.

"This is not your war." a voice spoke in her head. "There is no hope along the road to Mordor, only a shadow of fear ahead. But there is a chance, a chance to leave it all behind - the war, the Animals, the Ring - and live at peace with your lover...to be loved. But to get that, you must do the impossible: harden your heart to the plight of others, cast aside the Quest, leave the war for greater men to fight, and leave the road you have chosen."

Elphaba could not believe what she was hearing. But it was nothing new to her. She had heard words like those spoken before, but not by the Elf queen.

By herself.

"So you think I should just keep my mouth shut, is that what you're saying? Do you think I want to be this way? Do you think I want to care this much? Do you think I don't know how much easier my life if I didn't?"

And again...

"Don't you think I wish I could? I would give anything to turn back the Clock and go back to that time when I actually believed you were wonderful!"

Elphaba was surprised by what she herself had thought, a long time ago...

And horribly ashamed. She knew what it would meant, but she did not want to admit that it was within her heart to be so...cruel.

She turned her face away, already turning an abashed shade of blue-green.

"What now becomes of this Fellowship?" Celeborn's words seemed to bring Elphaba back into the world of the living. "Without Gandalf, hope is lost."

"The quest stands upon the edge of a knife." the lady spoke to them. "Stray but a little and it will fail, to the ruin of all."

Elphaba saw Fiyero crumble beneath the stare of the Lady of Lorien, though she was surprised that it lasted as long as it did. The eyes then turned to the Hobbits, and, Elphaba could have sworn, to Glinda.

"Yet hope remains, while the Company is true." She then turned and addressed all the company. "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Go now and rest, for you are weary with sorrow and much toil. Tonight, you will sleep in peace. We will not speak of your further road for a while."

At this, the Fellowship was dismissed.

* * *

><p>That night, the Fellowship slept on the ground. Elphaba sat by herself, gazing out into the trees. The Hobbits, safe for Frodo, were together by the trunk of a great tree, preparing themselves for bed. Gimli was fast asleep, Aragorn sat a little away from him, and Boromir was by himself. Fiyero sat by himself, always keeping Elphaba within eye view.<p>

Within the trees, the sorrowful singing of Elves floated down to meet their ears. It was in a language that few could understand, for it was the language of the Elves from the Elder Years. Legolas said that it was a requiem for Gandalf, but that he could not tell what it was being sung: for him, the grief was still too near and a thing for silence rather than song.

Elphaba, however, had become somewhat familiar with the language of the Eldar, and the words remained in her heart for a very long time. As she was mulling them over in her mind, she heard the voice of Sam from where the Hobbits lay.

"Bet they don't mention his fireworks. There should be a verse about them." Suddenly, the little Hobbit stood up and began his own addition to their song, in the Common Tongue.

"The finest rockets ever seen

"They burst in stars of blue and green

"Or, after thunder, silver showers

"Came falling like a rain of flowers.

"Oh, that doesn't do them justice, not by a long road." he muttered to himself, somewhat embarrassed, as he returned to his bed.

"Well, I think it was splendiforous." a sympathetic voice said.

Elphaba looked over and saw Glinda, the one who had encouraged Sam. She saw that the Elves had given her clothing after the manner of their people: a simple dress of pale gray and light morning blue. Elphaba noticed her friend's hair was now worn down, as it had been that night in their room, when they had become friends and the blond had tried to give the green girl a make-over.

"Elphie," she said, her cheery voice fading at the morose expression on her friend's face. "What's wrong? You know, you haven't spoken since we left the Elf-king and queen."

"I'm fine." Elphaba said curtly, a little too much, she noticed.

Glinda sat by her friend's side, looking about the beautiful land of Lothlorien, from which they were now drifting into sleep.

"I'm not sure I like that elf-queen that much." she said.

"Why not?" Elphaba asked curiously.

"Back there, at the throne room, there was something weird happening. Didn't you notice?" Glinda scooted herself a bit closer to her friend. "She kept looking at us, and everyone looked embarrassed after-wards. Why do you think?"

Elphaba shrugged but said nothing. Glinda moved herself a little closer.

"She spoke to me inside my head, Elphie." Glinda's voice was fearful. "She said that all of my worst nightmares would be fulfilled if I stayed with the Fellowship, but..."

"But what?" Elphaba asked.

"She said that I should trust you." Glinda answered after a short pause. "She said that you had the power of the ancients with you, and that Fifi and I..."

"Fifi?" Elphaba asked.

"Fiyero, that's my pet-name for him."

Elphaba rolled her eyes.

"She said that Fiyero and I should trust you." A pale white hand reached out for the green woman in the midnight-blue Elven robe. A green hand took the white one in a firm grasp.

"Elphie, I'm scared." Glinda said, tears coming to her face.

The green woman pulled her friend close to her, wrapping her arms around the petite blond as if for her very life. It was improper, she knew, but she didn't care. Glinda was such a fragile thing, and she needed to be cared for.

As the two friends sat there, bound at the soul, sharing a moment of pure love together, Elphaba could not dare let slip what was on her mind.

"So am I, Glinda, so am I."

* * *

><p>At that moment, Elphaba thought she espied the Elf lady walking some distance off from where they lay. Frodo arose from where he was sleeping, got himself up and slowly made his way after her.<p>

"Glinda, wake up." Elphaba whispered. Her friend had fallen asleep, her head on the green girl's lap.

"Wha?" the little blond woman said as she rose from sleep a little groggily.

"Don't talk, follow me." Elphaba whispered.

The two women quietly followed Frodo as he made his way to follow the elf-queen. They made care not to make too much noise, or else the Hobbit would know that he was being followed. After a while, they saw that the way Frodo was going led into a bole that was free of trees, and had a small, babbling brook at its side. A stone pedestal sat in the middle of the clearing upon which a silver bowl sat.

Elphaba stopped, holding Glinda at bay from either following or crying out at the suddenness of her friend's abrupt halt. The two then walked off the path and hid behind a stone statue of the Lady of Lorien.

They sat there while Frodo spoke with the Lady, and saw something that made him quite disturbed. The lady spoke again, and silence followed for a long space. After a while, she spoke again, but in whispers and with a voice that shook with fear. Suddenly, the light of the stars and moon seemed snuffed out and a great and fearful voice spoke from the clearing. Glinda covered her ears and buried her face in Elphaba's bosom in fear. Elphaba put a hand on the golden locks of her friend's head, but did not cringe. She had seen dark and terrible things in her life, and, though this was indeed greater than those, she did not loose heart.

Then, as suddenly as it had appeared, the voice vanished and the clear but sad voice of the Lady of Lorien rang again. After an eternity of whispers from the bole, the little shape of the Hobbit returned up the path they had come.

"Curiosity is no ill deed, though it has led many down a dark path of no return." the lady spoke.

Elphaba's heart dropped. She knew with a dead certainty that the Elf-queen was speaking to them. Slowly they made their way down into the bole. Elphaba whispered to Glinda that she could remove her hands from over her ears.

A smile came to the face of the lady Galadriel as she looked upon the green woman.

"What is so amusing?" Elphaba asked.

"You remind me of one dear to my heart," the lady said. "One of my kindred. He too was a seeker of the deep knowledge of the world, and it brought great woe."

"Who are you?" Elphaba asked warily. "What do you want?"

"Curiosity brought you to the Mirror, not I." the elf-woman said. "If you wish, you may look into the Mirror. But be warned: it is perilous to do so. For the Mirror may show you things that will never be, unless you choose to prevent those things and, by so doing, forsake your chosen path."

For some strange reason, Glinda spoke up.

"Why am I here?" she said. "You called me, I know you did."

"Purest soul," the lady said to Glinda. "You are like the hobbits: you follow out of your love for your friends, though you do not know what peril lies before you. But ignorance cannot save you from the Shadow."

Slowly, the little woman crept towards the "mirror." The bowl had been filled with water, and lay still as glass.

"Look, but do not touch the water." the elf-lady said.

Glinda nodded, tied her hair back with a hair-band from her wrist, and carefully bent over to look into the mirror.

At first, all she saw were the stars. Then a soft ripple formed from within the water, and a scene appeared in the mirror. She saw the beautiful land of Oz laid out before her in all of its splendor and beauty. As she was admiring it, the scene shifted and she saw a desert of black sand that stretched for miles under a dark sky. A lone figure in black was making a stumbling path along the rocky desert, and Glinda could have sworn that she saw a hint of green, though she never saw the figure's face.

"Elphie." she called out at the mirror, but suddenly the scene had changed again. She saw the beautiful land of Oz again, but something was terribly wrong. The land was dying. Tall pillars of black stone rose to meet the sky, choking the life out of the surrounding land.

She took a step back, tears brewing in her eyes.

"Oh, it's terrible." she gasped. "Something very bad is happening in Oz, Elphie. The land, it's dying. People are frightened. We've got to go back, we have to do something."

"You are free to do as you will," the elf-lady said. "But, as I have said, the Mirror is perilous. It may be that what you see will not come to pass, unless you forsake your friend and return to the doom of your little world."

Glinda sighed, turning away from the Mirror and into the embrace of her friend.

"I wish I hadn't come here, Elphie." she sobbed. "I wish none of this had happened."

Elphaba then realized that she had heard someone answer these words before. A long time ago, in the darkness of Moria...

_"So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us."_

Elphaba patted her friend on the back, but she could not find the words to say.

"And you, do you wish to look into the Mirror?" Galadriel said to Elphaba after some moments of silence had passed.

"Not until I know what you did to her." Elphaba said warily, with an almost frightening amount of venom in her tongue.

"No, Elphie, I'm fine." Glinda said, wiping her eyes. "I'm not running away anymore. I won't repeat what happened in that attic so long ago." A smile came to Elphaba's face, though it was a bittersweet one: she knew what this meant. Her friend would face the dangers ahead, something she could not bear to put the little blond through.

"I'm staying with you," Glinda said. "Though I wish I could do more. I feel like such helpless baggage sometimes."

Elphaba patted her friend on the head and then turned to the task at hand.

She was wary of what this mirror would do, but unbidden tremors shook her to the core. She could not keep her hands steady as she approached the mirror and looked down into the still water.

Darkness settled upon the surface of the Mirror, and slowly it faded away. Elphaba saw a ruined old farmhouse sitting upon the edge of a lawn of grass. From beneath the edge of the house, she saw a pair of black-and-white-stockinged legs sticking out from under the house. A pair of ruby slippers sat upon the feet, and she knew all too well who was being depicted here.

But ere a cry could escape her lips, the scene shifted. She saw a darkened room, and a young woman with pale skin and rusty-brown hair dance with a stranger with a straw hat and strange clothing. Suddenly she saw the man produce a bottle and pour green liquid into the woman's open mouth. This scene was both shocking and revolting in Elphaba's mind. It seemed to affirm what Glinda had said.

Suddenly she saw many scenes flashing all at once, over and over. It seemed to her that they were parts of a great history, spanning hundreds of years and across many worlds: it became evident that she and her friends were somehow part of that great history, though she could not understand how. Slowly the view shifted and she saw a clear scene once again.

Fire. Fires were burning throughout many lands. These lands were those that she herself had known, not just the strange lands of this world. She saw the forests of Gilikin aflame, the marshes of Quadling boiling the red-skinned Quadling people alive, and the cornfields of Munchkinland turned to an inferno. Hideous creatures as ugly as the elves were beautiful bearing whips and curved blades drove thousands to work in slag-pits and forges. Elphaba saw with horror that many Animals were there as well, bowing on all fours and serving as dumb, brutish beasts of burden, their backs torn to bloody shreds by the whips of these hideous creatures.

Elphaba's mind was wracked with fear. What did this mean? She had to know who was responsible for this. At once, the Mirror shifted to the Vinkus: but it was not the Vinkus as she knew it. The yellow fields had become a blackened desert. A lone figure stood out from the desert, dressed in armor both black and gold. Upon the right hand a ring of fire hovered there. But Elphaba yearned to see a face, to know what fiend it was who had brought such calamity. Was it Sauron? Was it Madam Morrible? Could it have been that thing from the ancient history of Oz that was still unspoken?

Long raven black hair flew upon the dead wind, as the mirror turned around to show the face. Hideous black teeth grinned wickedly from behind black lips, and pale-green eyelids opened to reveal TWO eyes, wreathed in flame and yellow like cat's eyes, with two black pupils in vertical slits that looked like a hole in the world and an opening into the abyss...

...of death.

Elphaba stumbled back, her hand over her heart. She was shocked and disgusted at what she saw. How could this be? She never sought dominion over anything, she never wanted to hurt the Animals. The monster she saw in the Mirror was the monster they said she had been. But it was impossible. She would never do that.

"Fear, Elphaba Thropp." the lady Galadriel said, speaking the green woman's name for the first time. "Fear is the greatest weapon of the Enemy. It was fear that drove my people to distrust the Valar when they first told them to go over the sea. Their fear led them into darkness, where they were lost to us forever, becoming mindless, twisted creatures of evil: the orcs.

"Fear it was that drives a wedge now between the Free Peoples of Middle Earth, causing dissent and making the task of the Enemy easier by reason of our confusion. It was fear that drove the people of your world to trust a deceiver and place him in the highest of places, and it was fear that drove them to hate you, the greatest of the daughters of Oz, and make of you an enemy.

"You must not be a slave to fear."

"Milady?" Elphaba asked. "Why am I here?"

"That is a question no mortal can answer." was the response.

"Not in general, I mean, here, in your world." she added.

"Fate, or whatever you will, has brought you to this world: you have your own choice before you; the greatest one you could ever make: to become a lantern of hope for all people, or to become the monster that they fear."

Elphaba nodded, not entirely sure if she understood what was going on.

"Now we must retire." Galadriel said. "We have chosen, and the tides of fate are against us already."

* * *

><p><strong>(AN: Hope you enjoyed my pathetic excuse for a Gelphie moment. lol I do better with my Wicked-n-Metal music videos, which you can view on my youtube channel. Okay, enough whoring of my wares. You'll find out what she saw in the Mirror if you reviewask me. So do it!)**


	3. The Great River

**(AN: And so we forge ahead once again into this epic tale. There's a scene from the book which I've added in here. Oh, and if you're wondering who Elphaba reminded Galadriel of, it is Feanor, the forger of the Silmarils, who was her distant cousin...I believe. Anywho, enjoy.)**

**The Great River**

A time soon came when the Company was ready to depart. After Aragorn and the others had spoken some time with the elf-lord Celeborn, they made ready to depart Lorien.

A few days later, Lord Celeborn and several elves came to the Company bearing gifts. They had cloaks of a pale gray, similar to those which Haldir and the elven guards wore, which they presented to the Company. They were clasped at the throat with a single brooch made in the shade of a green leaf with silver veins.

"Never before have we clad strangers in the garb of our own people." Celeborn said to them. "May these cloaks help shield you from unfriendly eyes." Elphaba noticed that he was looking at Boromir while he spoke.

The elf-lord then pulled Aragorn aside for a private word, while the other elves led the Company to the bank of the River Anduin. Here there were several boats prepared for the company, along with packs of a strange kind of food wrapped in leaves. Elphaba and Glinda watched the preparations from the side of the river bank.

"Good thing you're not allergic to water, Fae." Fiyero said with a smile, walking up behind the greener of the two ladies.

"Keep that up, Yero, and you'll find yourself swimming after us." she threatened, though they knew it was hollow. She then turned to look at her lover. He was clad in his new Elvish cloak, and Elphaba had to suppress a twinge of green-blue blush as she admired how much the simple Elvish cloak had magnified his features.

"You're looking fine yourself, Fae." Fiyero said to her, which sent a blue-green blush into the green woman's face.

"Oh, oh, oh, oh!" Glinda almost squealed. "Look at this!" She showed off the gray-blue elvish robe they had given her, now girt at the waist with a belt of silver (was it silver as Elphaba knew it, or was there _mithril_ in it as well?), and wearing boots of a matching white color.

"It's a shame they have nothing pink here." Glinda said with a slight pouting face. "But these robes are gorgeous. Ugh, but I hate these shoes!"

"Glinda, we're on a journey here." Elphaba said. "It's impractical to be wearing those glass slippers of yours."

"But, I mean, these boots, they're like yours!" she said with a disgruntled sigh. "And why can't we just come and go by bubble?"

Elphaba laughed.

"Seriously." Glinda said. "I bet it would make getting to that Mordor-place so much easier."

"That's the reason we can't." Fiyero said. "It's too easy."

"Whoa, this is new." Elphaba said.

"I've been hob-nobbing around with Aragorn and the elf-lord." he said, with a little swell of pride in his chest. "They've told me a little about our situation."

"Well, this is a first for you." Elphaba said.

"What?"

"Thinking on your own, trying to know more about what's going on than me."

"What do you expect? I want to be useful."

"Oh, me too!" Glinda said with an all-too familiar sickly-sweet gasp.

Just then, they saw the two younger Hobbits open one of the packages and start pulling out these golden-brown wafer-like things and eating them.

"Hey, don't eat all of it." Elphaba admonished.

"Oh this?" Merry asked.

"But we're hungry!" Pippin complained.

"Haven't you eaten already?" Elphaba asked.

"Oh yes, but that was just breakfast." Pippin said matter-of-factly. "In the Shire, we have at least three breakfasts before lunch, a bite for afternoon tea and then dinner and supper."

"Sweet Oz, don't you ever stop eating!" Glinda asked.

"Seriously," Fiyero added. "I eat a lot, but seven meals?"

The Hobbits payed them no mind and continued diving into the wafers until one of them elves gave them a scathing look. Then they sealed up the bag and tried to act like nothing happened.

* * *

><p>There were four boats prepared for them. In the first boat sat Aragorn, Frodo and Sam. A second bore Boromir, Merry and Pippin and the company's gear, the third bore Legolas and Gimli, and the last had the three Ozians. Fiyero was the only one in the boat who knew how to row one, for, though Elphaba was not allergic to water, she never really knew how to row a boat.<p>

As they set out upon the river, passing under the eaves of the land of Lorien, a great ship in the likeness of a swan rose up to meet them. Upon its bow, they saw, the Lady Galadriel stood. They steered their boats to the shore, where the Lord and Lady left the boat and led the company to the side of the river, where food was prepared for them.

After they had eaten and drank, the Lady presented the Company with several gifts. These were things that they were sure to use in their journey. She spoke first with Aragorn separately, then made her way down until at last she spoke with Frodo separately. After these had been given their gifts, she stood before Fiyero.

"Mae govannen, prince of the golden plains." she addressed him. She presented to him something wrapped in a black cloth. "This belonged to Gil-galad, the King of my people, when he bought peace to Middle Earth with his life by joining the Last Alliance against the Dark Lord. It will guide you down the darkest path you may ever take."

Fiyero bowed, said his thank you and clutched the bundle tightly, wondering whatever could be in there. Galadriel then stood before Glinda.

"I would that you stay in Lorien a little while longer," she said to the little blond woman. "and enjoy the beauty of our forest. For the time of the Elves is at an end, and all that you see will soon pass away."

"Thank you, Milady," Glinda said. "But I made my choice. I'm going with my friends."

"And well chosen," the Lady said with a smile. "But your journey will be no easier than theirs, and you must be prepared to cast down whatever enemy besets you." She then brought forth a sturdy staff of white wood, similar to the bark of the _mallorn_ trees.

"Staves like these are born by the healers and sages of my people," the Lady said. "Use it well, and be the strong foundation as the coming storm breaks upon the world."

Glinda nodded and accepted the gift with both hands. Fiyero and Elphaba half-expected her to go giddy with it, but the presence of the elf-queen made her strangely somber.

"And to you, Elphaba, I would speak with you a moment...alone."

Elphaba nodded her head and followed the Lady Galadriel off a little ways, where she spoke with her aside from the others.

"I cannot see where your path lies," the Lady began in Sindarin, though Elphaba found she could understand the language, as clearly as if it were Common (or Ozian, as it is known in her world). "But, for the foreseeable future, the path of the Ring-bearer, with whom you have set your course, can only lead to darkness and despair."

"Milady, I know something of the dangers that lie ahead." Elphaba answered. "I have spoken with Elrond of Rivendell..."

"Then you know the peril into whose jaws you have so lightly cast your life." the lady finished.

"It doesn't matter to me." Elphaba said, choking back tears. "At the Council of Elrond, I decided to do good and I stand by my choice."

The Lady nodded. "Do you know the story of Earendil?"

Elphaba shook her head.

"It is a long tale, whose ending has not yet come to pass." she began. "In the Elder Days, the Valar made two trees to light the world. But the darkness poisoned and devoured those trees. Many thousand years ago, before your world was ushered into being, my kin Feanor created three shining stones: the Silmaril.

"In these he sought to capture some memory of the light of the two trees. But the enemy coveted the Silmaril and took them from him by force. Beren, the mortal whose path Aragorn has chosen to travel, stole a Silmaril from the crown of Morgoth, and in time, it passed down to Earendil, who took it with him into the West.

"Today, Earendil is but a star."

All the while she listened to the story, Elphaba felt enchanted, as if she were carried back into ancient times and saw Beren and Luthien, disguised as a warg and a draugr, entering the grim citadel of Angband, and where Beren cut the Silmaril from the crown of the sleeping Morgoth. The lady's final words seemed to bring the green woman back into the waking world.

"It's light I captured in my fountain, and poured it into a crystal phial. This I gave to Frodo..." The lady extended one of her long, slender white hands, which, to Elphaba's surprise, held a similar glass like the one she had given to Frodo.

"...and its twin, I give to you." she said, almost in a whisper.

"But why?" Elphaba asked, almost speechless.

"You choose to walk a path of darkness, and therefore must needs have a light." the lady said, with mirth in her voice. "But this will be more than just a light. It's full purpose will be revealed in time, and when you least expect it." The lady put her hand on the green woman's shoulder in a gesture of friendship.

"Namarie, Calenwen." she said.

* * *

><p><em>("Calenwen" is a Sindarin word for "green maiden.")<em>

* * *

><p>The green woman bowed her head and then rejoined her companions.<p>

After these gifts had been given, the Fellowship returned to their boats and cleaved their way through the river.

Lorien receeded in the distance like a haze of golden light.

* * *

><p>Several weeks passed by of traveling by River. They would travel all day and then sleep at night. Not because of safety, for they could be easily spotted during the day as in the darkness, when the orcs of Mordor were unhindered by the sun as they would have been at daylight. Mostly because they had not night-eyes, and therefore could not risk a mishap at night.<p>

Furthermore, Aragorn, the now-leader of the Company, reminded them that many other dangers existed along the River. The greatest of which being the rapids of Sarn Gebir, from whence no boat had yet survived. Moreover, there was one last obstacle in their way.

The Falls of Rauros.

Elphaba had not been idle while in Rivendell. She studied over the maps and made sure that she knew at least a superficial knowledge of the landscape.

According to the maps in Elrond's library, the River Anduin, which was carrying them now, flowed down many leagues until it came to the Falls of Rauros, where it tumbled away into the marshy Wetwang and snaked its way further southward until it came to the Sea.

After several weeks of travel, even the air-headed Glinda could sense disagreement stirring within the Fellowship. This stemmed from a stalling of the decision for the Fellowship's ultimate fate. They were now without Gandalf, and leadership was now thrust onto the shoulders of Aragorn, who didn't even have the guts to reconcile with his ancestors and take up his rightful place as the King of Men.

They were in trouble.

One night, Fiyero was over with the Hobbits, enjoying a late dinner. Glinda was too tired out from the trip and so had fallen asleep. Elphaba noticed Aragorn and Boromir over by the boats, staring out at something floating upon the water. Legolas had first-watch, and Gimli the Dwarf was busy with the Hobbits and their food.

The green-woman, however, was eager to hear what the two Men were talking about.

"...if he alerts the enemy to our presence, it will make the crossing more dangerous." Boromir said. Aragorn then walked back to the supplies to take stock while the Gondorian captain walked after him. "You know my suggestion. Let us leave these cockle-boats and head south. Minas Tirith is the safer road: from there we can bolster our forces, strike out at Mordor from a position of strength."

"There is no strength in Gondor that can avail us." Aragorn replied, not even looking Boromir in the eyes.

"You were quick enough to trust the Elves," Boromir shot back, offense rising in his voice. "Do you have so little faith in your own people? Yes, there is weakness, there is frailty: but there is strength also. But you will not see that." Elphaba was astounded by Aragorn's reserve.

Boromir, however, was only angered more. Taking the Ranger by the shoulder, he tried to force him to respond.

"You're afraid! All your life you've hidden in the shadows, scared of who you are, of what you are!"

Elphaba was no fool. She knew exactly what Boromir was talking about. She was there at the Council of Elrond and heard that Aragorn was actually the heir of the throne of Gondor. What Boromir had done was to insult Aragorn's courage by calling him a coward.

But was it cowardice, she thought? She agreed with Aragorn's choices. After all, power corrupted people, as she saw with the Wizard in Oz, or even with her sister. Only a fool would accept power, she reasoned. It was good for him to deny that, to remain pure and uncorrupted, down to earth and more in-tune with the real issue.

And she knew what the real issue behind Boromir's suggestion was.

So did Aragorn.

"I would not lead the Ring within a hundred leagues of the White City!" he returned to the Gondorian. His voice was low, but there was no joking in his words.

Elphaba agreed with him. Already, she felt, the power of the Ring was at work, even in the Fellowship.

She noticed that she began to feel its presence more and more. Almost as if it were a twelfth member of the Fellowship, but not one who was either wanted to welcome, just a burden: an evil burden, which sent out ripples of powerful energy so powerful, Elphaba felt as though an Elephant was stomping through their camp.

Late at night, the others were more or less asleep. Elphaba could not sleep for some reason, and so volunteered to take the watch. She was pacing about, trying hard not to look at the small bundle where Frodo was lying asleep. Just the thought of the Ring made her head ache.

Just then, the hobbit raised his curly head and saw the green woman pace about nervously.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I've got an uneasy feeling," she said, gazing across the Anduin from where she stood. "Something's not right." She then turned to him, trying hard to look at his eyes and not the Ring about his neck. "Draw your sword."

"Why, are there orcs near?" Frodo asked.

"I want to see."

To both their dismay, the blade shined a dim shade of blue when drawn from its scabbard.

"There are orcs," Frodo said, fear taking his voice.

"Not too close, but close enough." she said.

"It could just be a patrol on the other side of the River." he added.

Before she could answer, a black-feathered arrow struck the ground. Another one skipped off the large rock, just inches away from Elphaba's hand. Another one struck Frodo in the chest and bounced to the ground, the head broken.

The Hobbit was undamaged.

"Frodo!" she cried out. "Are you alright?"

By this time, the others found out what was about and rose to the alarm. Boromir ran out and brought Frodo back behind the rock, his shield up as he went. Elphaba retreated after them. Aragorn and Legolas had their bows out, ready to shoot at the first sign of movement from the other side.

"The orcs fire night arrows at us." Legolas said. It was true, not one flaming arrow fell upon the western bank.

"Their aim may be amiss," Aragorn said. "But they can see in the darkness, a thing we cannot do." He then turned to the green woman. "Elphaba, do you remember what happened in Moria? In the Chamber of Records?"

"The spell?"

"That's just what we need!" Fiyero called out.

Elphaba ran over to her bed-roll, dodging the many arrows that landed among them but failed to find their mark, and picked up the heavy tome. She laid it out and began to search for the right spell.

Then it happened.

An icy, piercing scream that ripped the night sky open.

The arrows stopped, but the Fellowship was now looking to the moon far in the eastern sky.

A great shadow of wings passed over it.

Icy talons of fear clutched at Elphaba's heart. Her hands could not turn the pages of the Grimmerie, her heart stopped, the breath in her lungs turned to a cold wind and she did not move.

"Legolas! Bring it down!" Aragorn shouted.

The elf drew out an arrow, fitted it into the bow Galadriel gave him and bent the bow greater than his older, Mirkwood weapon could have ever bent. With a cry of "Elbereth!", he let loose the shaft.

There was a flash of green just about the arrow.

And the great shadow roared in pain and faded back into the shadows of the eastern shore.

All was quiet once again.

"Is it dead?" Pippin asked from where he, Merry and Sam were crouching over Frodo.

"We can only hope so." Boromir answered.

* * *

><p>The next morning was dull and gray, with no sign of orc or the body of the shadow of terror Legolas felled. The Company continued their way down the Anduin in silence. Elphaba insisted that Fiyero push their boat closer to the lead. She had to speak with Frodo.<p>

"How are you feeling?" she asked him.

"Tired." he responded.

"I mean after last night," she added. "I thought you'd be dead for sure after that arrow struck you."

"Well, I'm not." he said. He reached to where the arrow had hit, and discovered something he had almost forgotten.

"Do you remember what Gandalf said in Moria about _mithril_?"

"It was a valuable thing, something Gimli's people killed to possess." she responded.

"Something like that," he said. "Well, my uncle gave me a coat of _mithril_. I had almost forgotten about it until just now. He said it was as light as a feather and as hard as dragon-scales."

"Well," Elphaba said with a smile. "I'm glad you're not hurt, and even more glad that you've got such a fine piece of armor."

Frodo nodded and smiled. Though inside, he wished he had never heard of _mithril_, or that he was carrying the worth of the Shire on his person. He wished he was back in his Hobbit-hole, enjoying a late breakfast, and that he had never heard of _mithril_, or dragons, or gold, or the Ring...

Elphaba was content with the answer and her boat fell back to the rear of the column.

* * *

><p>One morning, long after the sun had risen, Elphaba and Glinda were fast asleep in their boat. Fiyero rowed and kept an eye out, and he was starting to nod off. Just then, he patted Elphaba on the shoulder.<p>

"Fae, wake up." he said.

The green-skinned woman pulled herself slowly up, rubbing sleep out of her eyes.

"Get a load of this." he said, pointing directly ahead.

Elphaba turned her head and saw that the river flowed through a small canyon. On either side of the canyon, the rocks were carved in the likeness of two great statues, both wearing crowns, swords in their belts and their hands lifted up and pointing outwards in a sign of rejection.

"What are they?" she asked.

Apparently it was loud enough to be heard by the nearest boat.

"They are the Pillars of the Argonath." Boromir said. "They bear the likeness of the kings of Gondor: Anarion and Isildur. Here marks the end of the Northern Lands."

The green-skinned woman noticed that he was rather edgy, and did not look directly at her when he spoke.

Once they passed the Argonath, they came upon a place where the River became wide, separated by a single island in the center and two high hills on the eastern and western banks. The roaring of a great waterfall meant only one thing:

They had come to the falls of Rauros.

Now at last came the time of decision-making.

The fate of the Fellowship would be decided.

**(AN: Here we are. I added in that little piece about Frodo's mithril shirt because, in Fae's version, Elphaba uses the Grimmerie to slay the goblins and trolls in the Chamber of Records in Moria and therefore, we don't get the whole scene with Frodo getting hit. Am almost finished with the last bit. Thinking about making TTT a whole separate story altogether. Review please :)**


	4. The Breaking of the Fellowship

**(AN: Here we go with the last part of the "Another World..." portion. TTT may be called "Another War...", still haven't decided on a name for the last part)**

**The Breaking of the Fellowship**

The day was still high upon the green bank of Parth Galen, where the Fellowship of the Ring was assembled. A small fire there was, which Merry and Gimli tended to while Pippin ate. Legolas was keenly watching something deep within the forest. Glinda, who was still sleeping, lay on the other end of the camp, with her head in Elphaba's lap. The greener woman was running her long, slender fingers through the blond's curls, while Fiyero was sharpening his sword upon a stone he found in the bank.

Elphaba noticed Fiyero look over at them and then roll his eyes before returning to his sword.

"What was that?"

"What?"

"That look you gave me."

"I didn't give a..."

"Yes, you did." she replied. "Are you jealous?"

Fiyero scoffed. "Of course not. I mean, come on, it doesn't really matter to me if you two..."

Elphaba would have blushed a furious shade of violet, but instead turned to see what Aragorn was talking about among the others.

"Our quest lies before us," Aragorn said. "If Gandalf had any plan, it would have been that. Therefore we'll cross the River at nightfall, hide the boats and continue on foot. We approach Mordor from the north."

"Oh yes?" Gimli asked. "Just a simple matter of finding our way through Emyn Muil? An impassible labyrinth of razor-sharp rocks, and after THAT...it gets even better! The Dagorland: a festering, stinking marshland as far as the eye can see."

"Why, yes, Gimli." Aragorn replied. "That is our road. Lord Elrond said that no oath or bond is on us to go further than you wish. If you feel that you have gone to your heart's desire, you can return to the Lonely Mountain."

"Master Frodo's uncle is a close friend of my father, and friendship means something to the Dwarves." Gimli said proudly. "His uncle gave us back our home, I will not turn aside from this Quest so lightly."

"Then I suggest you get some rest, and recover your strength for the journey ahead, Master Dwarf."

"Recover my...?" Gimli exhaled grumpily before returning to the fire, mumbling beneath his breath. "No Dwarf need recover strength."

Aragorn then went off to speak to Legolas. Elphaba then noticed something. Carefully, she unbuttoned her Elvish cloak, rolled it up into a pillow and placed it beneath Glinda's soft head. That done, she rose to her feet.

"Where's Frodo?" she asked.

They all looked about, but could see no sign of Frodo other than his pack.

"Clear as mud, as my ol' Gaffer used to say." Sam muttered.

"What was that?" Elphaba asked.

"Beggin' your pardon, Miss Elphaba," the hobbit said, rising to his feet. "I think Mr. Frodo knows what's got to be done. If 'e didn't, 'e'd just throw that Ring into some ditch and go running off 'ome. But 'e ain't thinkin' proper. 'e can't go to Mordor alone..." Elphaba could have sworn tears were forming in the hobbit's eyes. "If 'alf the stuff we've 'eard about it are true, it's the worst place in all these lands. Why else did Master Elrond send all of us with 'im?"

"You think he would go off on his own?" Elphaba asked.

"We've got to find him!" Pippin suddenly said. Then he and Merry got up and ran off into the forest, yelling "Frodo!"

"Wait!" Aragorn said. But they did not pause. Legolas and Gimli got up and ran off after the others.

"Elphaba, Fiyero." the Ranger said, turning to them. "We have another problem. Boromir is gone as well. I sent him to get fire-wood, but he hasn't been back in almost an hour."

"Is the Fellowship scattered already?" Elphaba asked.

"Not yet." Aragorn said. "Sam, come with me. We'll find Frodo."

The two took off in one direction, leaving Elphaba and the others alone.

"Wake up," she said, nudging Glinda. The blond muttered and mumbled in her sleep, saying something that sounded like 'Oh, yes, Elphie! I will!' Fiyero and Elphaba exchanged looks of amazement before they both tried to get the little blond to her feet.

"What's wrong?" she asked, her blue eyes blinking back to life. "I was having a dream...there was..."

"Never mind that!" Elphaba said a little harshly. "The Fellowship is scattered. We have to find Frodo."

She picked up Glinda's staff and handed it to her. Taking up her sword, she and Fiyero lead the last of the Fellowship away from their camp at Parth Galen and onto the slopes of Amon Hen.

* * *

><p>The three of them ran on, ears keen for the sign, sight or sound of their Fellowship. As they walked, they saw Boromir, sitting by himself upon the ruins of some building long eaten up by the surrounding wild-life.<p>

"Boromir!" Fiyero called out. They ran to his side.

"Have you seen Frodo?" Elphaba asked.

The Gondorian shook his head.

"Where is he?" she inquired. "When did you see him?"

"Half an hour ago." he said, but his voice sounded hoarse. "I found him while I was gathering wood..." A pile of sticks had been abandoned a few yards off. "I talked with him a little, tried to council him about the road ahead. But he would have none of it."

"Where did he go?" Fiyero asked.

But Boromir said nothing, his face downcast.

"Something happened that you're not telling us," Elphaba said. She stepped towards Boromir a little, but then paused. Glinda noticed the vacant expression on her friend's face.

"Elphie, what is it?" she asked.

"Oh, no." the green-skinned woman said, gazing off into the distance.

"What is it? What do you see?" Fiyero asked.

"They're coming for us!" she shouted. "Hundreds of huge, black orcs."

At the mentioning of orcs, Boromir rose to his feet, ready for action. Fiyero noticed that he did not have his shield with him.

Just then, they heard, in the distance, the terrifying grunt of orcs. They were upon Amon Hen, it seemed. Far away for now, but where was Frodo?

Then another sound was heard.

Merry and Pippin's small voices were shouting out for someone to follow them.

"The half-lings!" Boromir said, his senses returning to him. Drawing out his sword, he ran in the direction of the noise.

"Boromir, wait!" Elphaba returned, then she realized what a foolish thing she had done. A dozen or so of the huge, black brutes lumbered down out of the forest. They were clad in black armor, with broad shields and short, straight swords. Upon their shields was emblazzoned a white hand.

"Get 'em, boys!" Ugluk growled to the other orcs surrounding him.

Two large black orcs charged upon them. Fiyero ran the first one through with his sword, then knelt down, letting the beast's weight work against him. The lumbering orc flew over his back, falling behind him, impaled but still kicking. The prince drew his sword again and directed a blow against the creature's neck, but was deflected by its shield.

The second one had its sword deflected by the green woman's slender blade. After about six exchanges, she drove the blade through its neck, drew it quickly out and took off one of its legs. The orc fell uselessly to the earth.

Another two attacked, but they were no match for the green whirlwind of blade and boot that was already hacking its way through two at once. The prince, however, was exchanging blows with his first, and could not break his enemy's guard. Two more fell at Elphaba's feet.

As if in response, their leader, the big black orc called Ugluk, charged into the fray, swinging his sword with both hands. Elphaba ducked out of the way and brought the sword up, but the orc wasn't as stupid as others. It had brought its sword to a stop and parried the blow. Another hefty blow sent Ugluk's blade stuck in the side of a tree. Seeing her advantage, Elphaba charged at the orc, her sword a-swinging. But the orc was too fast. With its bare hand, it grabbed the blade, though black blood was trickling from where its skin had been cut.

She could not draw the sword free from the orc's grasp, and Ugluk knew this. Now his foe was still enough to see what she looked like.

"What are you?" the orc growled, his foul breath filling Elphaba's nostrils, making her gag. "Some goblin-woman?"

She could not answer, for the stench was enough to knock her on her feet.

But something else answered for her.

The sounding of a horn.

The big orc threw Elphaba to the ground, just as Fiyero finally tired out his first orc enough to have it fall dead almost a few inches from her.

"They've given themselves away!" Ugluk growled to his comrades. "Move! We'll have man-flesh tonight!"

The other orcs left the battle and ran off in the direction of the sounding-horn.

"What? That's all you got?" Fiyero said cockily after the fleeing orcs, eager to slay more.

"Come on, let's go!" Elphaba said, rising to her feet.

* * *

><p>The battle was over by the time they got there. Dozens of dead orcs lay strewn about the field, though there were no sign of the hobbits. They found Aragorn, kneeling before something by the side of a tree, with Legolas and Gimli behind him afar off.<p>

"What happened?" Elphaba asked, approaching the Elf-prince. He held up his hand, but said nothing more.

She turned to the tree, and saw with horror what it was that caused him to be silent.

Aragorn was kneeling before Boromir, who lay ashen-faced against the trunk of the tree, pierced with three black-feathered arrows.

"They will look for his coming in Minas Tirith," Aragorn said aloud. "But he will not return from the North." He then turned his face to the others. "Now we must put our companion to rest. He will not be left to rot among these orcs."

"Where are the Hobbits?" Fiyero asked.

"Boromir said the orcs took them." was the answer.

"Shouldn't we go after them?" Glinda asked.

"Ha!" Gimli said gloomily. "A pretty thing like you against those foul-folk? That would be the day."

"We should!" Elphaba said. "We can't abandon them to torment and death!"

"And we won't." Aragorn said. "The orc trail leads west. It is still fresh, and easy to follow. Orcs seem to take pleasure in destroying nature wherever they go, even if it is not in their way. For now, though, let us bury our friend."

"We cannot," Legolas said. "We haven't the tools."

"We will put him in one of our boats." Aragorn said. "The River will carry him back to the Sea..."

He trailed off. This was an important thing for him.

The men of Gondor and Arnor came from out of the sea in the darkness of the Second Age.

The three Ozians stood aside upon Parth Galen, gazing out at the little white dot that was Boromir's boat, eddying its way towards the endless roar of Rauros. Gimli stood aside, his hands resting upon his beloved ax. Aragorn was tying to his wrists a pair of Gondorian bracers that were undamaged from Boromir's body. These he would take back as tokens that Boromir had indeed gone into the North.

Legolas was busy gazing at something on the eastern bank of the Anduin.

Glinda, as sad as she was to see someone die, was more interested in the tall elf.

She "pst-ed" at him to get his attention. When he did not stir, she walked over to his side.

"Is it true that you can see farther than anyone else can?" she asked.

"It is said that the greatest of my people were given foresight," Legolas said. "The people of Mirkwood are keen-eyed, and can spot a hare from a great distance if need be."

Trying to wrap her mind around his answer, Glinda walked back to her two friends. Legolas, on the other hand, went for his pack.

"Let us hurry," he said, throwing some of their supplies into one of the small boats. "If my eyes do not deceive me, the orcs have not the Ringbearer."

"How can you be sure?" Gimli asked.

"I see two hobbits upon the eastern shore." the Elf said. "One is heavily-laden with gear. That I reckon is Sam, for he would carry his and Frodo's gear. He would not have gone anywhere without Frodo. Come, let us make haste!"

But Aragorn stood still, gazing across the river to see if he could find the two hobbits.

"I agree with Legolas." Elphaba said. "We should go after them! The Quest still stands before us."

The Ranger simply shook his head. "I would have gone with him to the end. But my heart tells me that Frodo's fate is no longer in our hands."

The others made a loose circle around the remains of their camp-fire, with the dwarf coming in last.

"Then it has all been in vain." he said grumpily. "The Fellowship has failed."

"No." he said defiantly. "The Fellowship has served its purpose. We were only commanded to go with the Ringbearer as far as we will. But we who remain must hold true to each other. Merry and Pippin are held captive by orcs, and if we were to go after Frodo, then we damn the others to torment and death." He motioned to the others.

"We cannot let that happen...not while we have strength left!" With a kind of renewed vigor, he walked over to his pack and drew out a long, elvish dagger. "Come! Let us go! Leave all that can be spared behind. We will pursue our friends wherever the orcs may take them, and make such a chase as to be worthy of remembrance among the Three Kindreds: Elves, Dwarves and Men...of all lands. Forth the Six Hunters!"

Aragorn lept off with the speed of a deer from their camp in the direction of the orc trail. The dwarf gave a cheer and then set off after him as well as his stout legs could carry him. Legolas came up next, soon outtaking Gimli upon the trail. Stirred by Aragorn's speech, the three Ozians made after them with equal vigor; though they had forgotten one tiny detail.

Glinda was not accustom to pursuit.

* * *

><p><strong>(AN: Here it is. Just as a note when you prepare to read "Another War...The Two Towers", I have changed more of the events of the movie for consistency sake. For instance, I will have the encounter with the Rohirrim be based on the book, because I think that Glinda would be too much of a burden on the others, being that she is not capable of being much good in pursuit - you try imagining her running with the Three Hunters...Gimli would be shouting at her to keep up. lol Review and stay tuned for more)<strong>


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